From the Beer Writer: It’s a case of it is what it is, and what it is is a traditional West Coast IPA brewed to celebrate six years of brewing in North San Diego County. They could have employed hop-inspired puns, humor or clever wordplay, but instead the leadership team at Vista’s Booze Brothers Brewing kept things simple, dubbing this celebratory beer 6 Year Anniversary. In doing so, they messed up my AP-style reporting, but I’m willing to overlook that given the exceptional character of this brew, which drops tomorrow as part of the bros’ official anny event. The brewing team splurged in all the right ways, adding Cashmere hops and an experimental cultivar they thought would fit nicely with some proven, choice New Zealand varietals. The result is a new old-school IPA that exhibits vibrant, well-meshed tropical-, stone- and citrus-fruit character, balanced out by a present, almost-brazen bitterness. Cheers to that last, sometimes omitted characteristic, and cheers to six years…and many more!
From the Brewer: “For our sixth-anniversary beer, we wanted to go back to basics. At first, we debated amongst ourselves whether or not we should brew a double hazy IPA, or perhaps a stronger beer such as an imperial IPA, but that didn’t seem to represent us in a way that an anniversary beer should. Eventually, we decided upon the type of beer that all of us at Booze Brothers prefer to drink. So, we used some of our favorite hops—Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, Cashmere and an experimental varietal called HBC 692—and brewed the style that put San Diego on the map, a West Coast IPA. While the hops used lend mainly tropical flavors of mango, pineapple and papaya, and citrus aromas of grapefruit, lemon and lime, the drinker may also pick out subtle hints of peach, melon and coconut. We hope you enjoy it.”—Donny Firth, Co-owner & Brewmaster, Booze Brothers Brewing